“A picture is worth 1000 words”

I’ve been to a few planning commission meetings in the past at which developers arrived with a bunch of high-tech gear that made it easy to see pictures of what they were proposing to the commission. Well, as anyone reading this blog knows, I can put together an image or two as well. I think it’s helped people get a better grasp of just what it is we’re talking about.

So I called the zoning department to see if there would be a projector in the Common Council Chamber to which I could hook my laptop at the April 6 meeting. Nope. And no screen, either. I don’t have the resources of an entire development company. But maybe one of my neighbors has something I could use. So I wrote a request in to the Walkable Eastwood email group. And this is the first response I got, from Sig Snyder, Professor Emeritus, Syracuse University:

While I can’t help you, Lonnie, this brings up an subject which has bothered me ever since I did time with the Eastwood Review Board.

Never once we had a decent and comprehensive VISUAL presentation of any of the projects which came before the bored (pun intended). Quantifications, Verbifications, and Obfuscations appear to be locally  accepted means of dealing with physical (and economic) “realities.” There exists the myth that visual realities are not considered relevant “professional” criteria, i.e. “you can’t argue about “Aesthetics.” You can argue about inches and feet and dollars and cents.

There is no way, at this time in history, to make a visually comprehensive presentation in the council chambers. If “we” are REALLY interested to “show” whatever we are discussing “looks like,” we need more appropriate facilities, including projection equipment.

Sorry, Lonnie, I can’t help. Perhaps the city could use part of the tax money we pay for our two properties to initiate a project which would give “the community” a chance to see what investors and developers want to bestow on us for our own good.

Sig

Council Chamber: beautiful old room. The lighting is all electric.